1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to manufacture of elastic bands and, more specifically, to printed elastic bands which bear printed indicia including advertising indicia.
2. Description of the Related Art
Elastic bands may be made according to the methods described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,781,550; 3,787,552 and others. In the methods shown in these prior art references, elastomeric tubes are extruded, cured and cut into bands.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,165,336 shows a method for printing rubber bands of the type produced by the above references. Printed elastic bands are made by piercing, evacuating and flattening an elastic tubing followed by washing, scrubbing and drying the upper surface of the tubing. The tubing is aligned on a conveyor and moved upward toward a printing head and quickly downward away from the printing head while maintaining the tubing in a flattened state. The printing is devolatilized and cured while the tubing continues to move a cut-off point. Nip rollers drive a tubing on to a cut-off platen. A final roller near the edge of the platen has a higher surface feed than the nip rollers to flatten the tubing. Printing on the tubing is sensed and rotating knives are sensed and the speed of the nip rollers is controlled to cut the tubing between the printed areas. Severed printed bands are removed by vacuum and are discharged from a cyclone separator.
While the above and other prior art references teach various methods for printing upon elastic bands, the printing was not generally done on stretched rubber, i.e., while the band was in a stretched state.
A need exists for a method of manufacturing an item of printed indicia in which printing is imparted to a stretched elastomeric band whereby the printing is readable and intelligible when the band is in the stretched state but is unintelligible when the band returns to the relaxed state.
A need exists for a method for imparting printed indicia to a stretched elastomeric substrate which is simple to implement and economical in operation.
A method is shown for manufacturing an item of printed indicia. An elastic substrate is provided which is stretchable between a relaxed state and an extended state. The elastic substrate has a first exposed surface. The elastic substrate is stretched to the extended state. The stretched substrate is then placed onto a form or mandrel to maintain the substrate in the extended state. A primary indicia is then printed upon the first exposed surface of the elastic substrate. The primary indicia is readable to an observer when the substrate is in the extended state but is unreadable when the substrate is returned to the relaxed state. The substrate is then removed from the form so that the substrate returns to the relaxed state.
Preferably, the elastic substrate is pre-printed with a secondary indicia upon the first exposed surface which is readable by an observer when the substrate is in the relaxed state as well as when the substrate is in the extended state. In the most preferred form, the elastic substrate is a rubber band which is stretched around a mandrel in order to maintain the rubber band in the extended state for printing the primary indicia thereon. A plurality of rubber bands can be stretched around a common mandrel with the plurality of bands being printed with the primary indicia in a single printing step.
An article of printed indicia is provided which includes an elastic substrate stretchable between a relaxed state and an extended state, the elastic substrate having a first exposed surface. The first exposed surface bears a printed indicia thereon which is readable when the elastic substrate is in the extended state and which is unreadable when the elastic substrate is in the relaxed state. In the preferred form, the elastic substrate is a rubber band which is worn about a limb of a user such as around the user""s wrist or arm. The printed indicia is preferably an advertising message which is readable by an observer when the band is stretched by the user and which is unreadable by an observer when the band is in a relaxed state about the limb of the user.
Additional objects, features and advantages will be apparent in the written description witch follows.